Two new riders in SH soon..

Hi MCM boys and girls,

First: This is an awesome forum and I read a lot of useful things here! Thanks for that!

So now it's time for me to say hi, pop my forum-cherry and post something for the very first time ever. Anywhere!
So just let me know if I do something wrong or have to post somewhere else..
I'm from South Tyrol in the italian Alps and been in Shanghai for a bit over two years now. The being-trapped-in-the-
city-depression got me so far that I have to have a motorcycle again. My experience is limited, but I grew up with pimped up vespas :scooter:, a few rides on BMW gs650 and Kawasaki z750 and two motorcycle trips through Vietnam and the Philippines last year got the fire burning again :)

I'm already prepared for the transfer of my italian licence and just need a chance to take a day off to do the test.. hopefully this or next week.

This Saturday my mate and I rode our bicycles (as in without engine!) down to the Knight Rider store in Pudong to check out their Shinerays. Thanks for the business card that I found here on the forum! I'm interested in the Shineray XY250GY-2 X2 and my buddy in the XY200GY-7 or XY200GY-5 X3

The shop is easy to find, looks professional and people there are very nice. Don't speak English though.
I'll post a few pics of the shop for those who are interested and haven't been there yet.

Sitting on the X2 felt good :) finally a bike that's tall enough for me. I was impressed with the quality! as far as I could tell from locking at it from every angle. It looks solid!
Asking for a test ride, the answer was "test ride only if you put cash on the table!" - so no test ride.

A quotation for the X2 with 沪C plates: 17.800 for the bike, 25.000 for the C plate, + various fees = 45.700RMB

As for the oh so beloved registration part:

We both live inside inner ring. But the 沪A with prices beyond 100k are off limit for us!
Getting a C plate could be arranged. Also having it registered in a friends name in Suzhou or Wuxi would be an option.
But I have a few questions about that:

I read a lot of times "C plates can NEVER enter inner ring area!" but somewhere else on shanghaiexpat.com somebody said "In Shanghai you can ride with plates from other cities after 8:00pm and on weekends."

Is that true? Or is it just big fat humbug? Does anybody know for sure?
And if plates from other cities could, could also a 沪C enter inner ring at a particular time?

I want to get this bike asap (and my friend as soon as he gets the driving licence).
Any helpful information to get us on the road for this nice spring weather? :riding:

Thanks and all the best,
Slenderman :icon10:

Pictures here:

Attachment 10517Attachment 10518Attachment 10519Attachment 10520Attachment 10521

Attachment 10522Attachment 10523Attachment 10524Attachment 10525Attachment 10526 ..what a handsome Noob I am :icon10:

Dear Slenderman,

Greetings from Shanghai and warm welcome to MCM. Yours is the best kind of self-introduction, as your posts have contributed to our collective knowledge -- in this case by sharing recent pix of the Shineray shop. Thanks for that!

As for your questions about 沪A vs 沪C plates and restrictions inside the inner ring, I hate to pour cold water on your enthusiasm but there is no such thing as an "after 8 and weekends" rule. The signs are posted on the roadways for all to see, and there are no asterisks or other exceptions. 沪C bikes are not permitted downtown. Period.

That said, you'll quickly see that a very substantial proportion of the motorcycles riding downtown are bearing 沪C plates. These are mostly Chinese riders on farmer bikes, probably motorcycle taxis ("摩的"), and generally very good riders who obey traffic laws (well, except for that 沪C plate and the fact that they are illegally ferrying passengers). The police seem to pay them little heed. Most of the motorcycle checkpoints around town are targeting unlicensed bikes, especially scooters. And all I can say is, bless the police for getting these scofflaws and criminals off the roads. They are the primary reason why the public and officialdom are so down on motorcycles.

I'm not saying you should feel free to ride a 沪C bike downtown. Your mileage will vary. But I will say this: I really don't much understand why anyone would want to actively ride a motorcycle in downtown Shanghai. I have mine here with 沪A plates, but I have zero desire to ride in town. The bike is for getting OUT of Shanghai, and for that there is almost nothing better.

If you think it's fun to ride in stoplights and downtown traffic and congestion and smog, you're not going to be happy here unless you get the 沪A plate. Or just go for the 沪C plates and use the bike for getting out of town, and I reckon you'll have very little problem for the short bits of time you are riding inside the Ring. With 沪C plates, a legal C1D or C1E license and insurance, you'll be legal anywhere in China -- and even in those bits where bikes are not permitted you will dramatically reduce your risk of having your bike confiscated. If you are cooperative and friendly, you can probably avoid the 200 rmb fine too.

Finally, you live in downtown Shanghai and want an effective, efficient, fun way to get around. It's called a bicycle. Shanghai is a brilliant city on a bicycle, as you've already indicated in your first post. Talk about lane-splitting and filtering through traffic -- there is nothing better. Shanghai can be a real joy when you are not snarled in traffic, and can go anywhere you please, at any time.

Again, welcome!

Benvenuto al manicomio cinese! :riding:

Welcome!
Some People, who live "inside", have a storage room outside and ride their bikes from there. Every difficulty has a solution

Thanks everybody for the warm welcome! :thumbsup:

@Zorge:
Grazie signore!

@SabineHartmann:
I have no doubt that this is a problem that can be solved. Thanks for the input!

@euphonius:

Thank You for your fast and very detailed feedback!
Nice to hear the pictures are being appreciated! I took them with MCM in mind.

I had my doubts with this "after 8 and weekends" rule anyway. You confirmed what I suspected. So no high hopes destroyed here.

I agree with you 100%! I want a bike to get OUT of the city!
I'm quite happy with plowing through the downtown traffic with my bicycle and really don't intend to substitute it with a motorcycle.

I think I'll be just fine with 沪C plates! (the inner ring road is not too far from where I live) I'll see the 25k as saved money for later.. let's just hope the law won't change drastically in the next few years! And I can sell my plates then..
BTW how easy is it to sell plates?? (don't want to end up with a 25k piece of metal on my living room wall!)

My other possibility I'm still thinking about would be to register in a friends name in Suzhou.. I hear it's just a couple of hundred RMB there. But then I'd have an other persons name on the registration. And on the insurance too? Would this cause more trouble than I imagine now? Just not totally legal I suppose, but would I have a hard time explaining to every cop why I ride an other persons bike?

Again Thanks everybody!
Slenderman

you can ride another persons bike legally as long as you have the correct chinese license and the required bike papers. Only when you have accident case it gets troublesome because then the owner must show up at different offices ..... and this can be very time consuming.

Welcome Slenderman.

Thanks for the bike porn (we love pics!).

I often ride with my buddy on his X2 which is Suzhou plated. He used to keep it out in Minhang but now stables it downtown. Laws are laws, but with that said he's never had any issues. Favorite places for the X2 crowd are the Anting MX Track and Suzhou Tank Grounds.

The real issue my buddy faces is getting gas. Since he has a Suzhou plate he's not allowed to gas-up downtown so he always fills up just outside the S20 on the way back into town so he's always topped up when in the city. I don't think you'll have too many problems with your 沪C If you have any more questions just PM me, and if they are X2 specific my buddy can always share his insights with you directly.

Cheers!

Howdy Slenderman.

I own a X2X with a Hu C plate. I commute with it to work at the heart of Shanghai deep inside the inner ring around Jingansi 静安寺. With at most 200 rmb penalty a pop, I can afford a lot of tickets with the cost differential between Hu A and Hu C (just did the math: 625 tickets for the life of the plate). Since it is a Shanghai plate, there is no danger of getting confiscated like those out of city plates. As far as the appreciation of the plate goes, recently my Hu C just tripled in value, more than Hu A in multiples. So far I have over 6K on the clock and not once stopped by the traffic cop yet.

Enough of this poor man's justification for a Hu C.

I have been having great fun with my X2X. It is narrow, similar in width to a bicycle, with those side reflectors way high above the side mirror of most passenger cars, I can pass through just anything in downtown Shanghai. It is so much nimbler and easier in handling than my other bike JH600. However, this fun comes at a cost. It is definitely not the most comfortable bike, especially for longer trip. The longest trip I did so far is a 1200 km trip to Anhui last October. The last 400 km was just brutal. All of us X2X riders are pretty much standing on the bike to avoid any contact of our sore butt against the hard narrow seat. So far no one seems to know how to alleviate this pain in the ass on the X2X.

As far as the quality goes, keep an eye on all the screws, nuts and bolts and make sure they stay on for the first couple of weeks, during which I had many parts falling off from it. However, nothing Loctite can't fix. I did have the benefits of my friend Master Eric's mechanical skill to fall back on, who personally baptized the whole bike with Loctite for me. After that "reassembling" break-in, it seems to run fine now. Also, I first bought the more expensive model with a set of "drifting tires" and smaller rear sprocket. I'd suggest strongly not to adopt that type of tires, which are simply too drifty for me and performing extremely poor in rain. I replaced the whole tire set, sprocket and chain in 2 weeks.

Welcome back to the biker scene. China is an incredible place to explore on motorcycle. You will have lots of fun.

Hi all together,

I just want to jump on this train, as my situation is quite similar with Slenderman's.

I came to Shanghai about 8 months ago (incredible how long it is possible to survive without riding a motorbike). Yesterday, I finally managed my driving license:clap: and now I am facing all these practical questions. I looked up already several threads but I must admit, there are still some questions left related to license plates and bikes.

We are living in Gubei, between Middle Ring and Inner Ring. Now my questions:
1.) What would be the legally correct plate? Is a 沪C plate correct.? Will it allow me to get home 24 hours? I know that I ma not allowed to get to downtown with a C沪 plate, but it is not my intention at all to go there with the bike
2) What are the options beside a 沪C plate when living in this area and when I want to have my bike parked in our compound?


The next challenge is of course the bike itself. I have been looking around a bit shortlisted some potential options:
CF Moto 650 NK, Jialing 600 with sidecar, Shineray 400 or any medium sized Japanese brand
Where are the relevant delaers: For CF Moto, I found one at the end of Wuhzong Lu, in Slenderman's message there was the Shineray dealer mentioned in Pudong, who alos had a Jialing 600. Is there any other dealer here in Puxi for those Chinese brands. I heard about this delaer for Japanese brands close to Beixinjing subway station. I would prefer a dealer who talks at least some English (my Chinese is not existing) and who might also help me to get the correct license plate (see my question above)

Thx in advnace for some advice and hope to see you soon somewhere on the road....sometimes in a pub would also be okay.

Thanks MotoKai!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ischel

Hi all together,

I just want to jump on this train, as my situation is quite similar with Slenderman's.

I came to Shanghai about 8 months ago (incredible how long it is possible to survive without riding a motorbike). Yesterday, I finally managed my driving license:clap: and now I am facing all these practical questions. I looked up already several threads but I must admit, there are still some questions left related to license plates and bikes.

We are living in Gubei, between Middle Ring and Inner Ring. Now my questions:
1.) What would be the legally correct plate? Is a 沪C plate correct.? Will it allow me to get home 24 hours? I know that I ma not allowed to get to downtown with a C沪 plate, but it is not my intention at all to go there with the bike
2) What are the options beside a 沪C plate when living in this area and when I want to have my bike parked in our compound?


The next challenge is of course the bike itself. I have been looking around a bit shortlisted some potential options:
CF Moto 650 NK, Jialing 600 with sidecar, Shineray 400 or any medium sized Japanese brand
Where are the relevant delaers: For CF Moto, I found one at the end of Wuhzong Lu, in Slenderman's message there was the Shineray dealer mentioned in Pudong, who alos had a Jialing 600. Is there any other dealer here in Puxi for those Chinese brands. I heard about this delaer for Japanese brands close to Beixinjing subway station. I would prefer a dealer who talks at least some English (my Chinese is not existing) and who might also help me to get the correct license plate (see my question above)

Thx in advnace for some advice and hope to see you soon somewhere on the road....sometimes in a pub would also be okay.

---

Welcome Ischel! Outside the Inner Ring (Zhongshan Lu) you should be fine with a 沪C plate, and, as Milton has explained, have little risk of serious misfortune if you only occasionally venture downtown (though why would you?).

Though you may see the odd Jialing in Shanghai shops, there is no official dealer here. That's not to say you cannot buy from them, but you may not get after-sales support. There is, however, a reliable broker who will assist in your purchase from the factory in Chongqing and capably manage your warranty support and service. PM me for details.

cheers!

Hi milton, Thanks for your info!

The 沪C plate sounds to be the way to go. I'll put my registering in Suzhou plans on ice!

I also had the impression that the X2X is a pretty compact bike. Tall and slender.. perfect! :thumbsup: Of course I didn't ride one yet but I can imagine it handling great.
For the butt problem on long distance trips.. I don't expect too much comfort. But will certainly try some longer distance anyway.. if you find something to improve that, let me know. Of course I'll do the same if I figure something out.

Thanks for the hint about the screws and bolts! I'll keep that in mind!

As for the wheel set up:
I thought of getting 17/17 but try to get some dual sport rubber.. something similar to a Avon distanzia (only cheaper!)
http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/r...5829037336.jpg
Has anybody something in mind that would fit that bill?

Should be nice for tarmac and not having me stop at the first bit of dirt rode!
(maybe later when my bank account recovers I could add a 21/18 set to swap)

What size sprocket did you end up with? Torque/end speed OK?

Looking forward to having a moto under my butt again.. but first the driver's licence test of course!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by milton

Howdy Slenderman.

I own a X2X with a Hu C plate. I commute with it to work at the heart of Shanghai deep inside the inner ring around Jingansi 静安寺. With at most 200 rmb penalty a pop, I can afford a lot of tickets with the cost differential between Hu A and Hu C (just did the math: 625 tickets for the life of the plate). Since it is a Shanghai plate, there is no danger of getting confiscated like those out of city plates. As far as the appreciation of the plate goes, recently my Hu C just tripled in value, more than Hu A in multiples. So far I have over 6K on the clock and not once stopped by the traffic cop yet.

Enough of this poor man's justification for a Hu C.

I have been having great fun with my X2X. It is narrow, similar in width to a bicycle, with those side reflectors way high above the side mirror of most passenger cars, I can pass through just anything in downtown Shanghai. It is so much nimbler and easier in handling than my other bike JH600. However, this fun comes at a cost. It is definitely not the most comfortable bike, especially for longer trip. The longest trip I did so far is a 1200 km trip to Anhui last October. The last 400 km was just brutal. All of us X2X riders are pretty much standing on the bike to avoid any contact of our sore butt against the hard narrow seat. So far no one seems to know how to alleviate this pain in the ass on the X2X.

As far as the quality goes, keep an eye on all the screws, nuts and bolts and make sure they stay on for the first couple of weeks, during which I had many parts falling off from it. However, nothing Loctite can't fix. I did have the benefits of my friend Master Eric's mechanical skill to fall back on, who personally baptized the whole bike with Loctite for me. After that "reassembling" break-in, it seems to run fine now. Also, I first bought the more expensive model with a set of "drifting tires" and smaller rear sprocket. I'd suggest strongly not to adopt that type of tires, which are simply too drifty for me and performing extremely poor in rain. I replaced the whole tire set, sprocket and chain in 2 weeks.

Welcome back to the biker scene. China is an incredible place to explore on motorcycle. You will have lots of fun.

---

x2x comes with standard 52 key rear sprocket, unless you opt for the 17/17 tires, which needs a 46 key sprocket instead. You can get after-market sprocket replacement for 60 and 49 keys respectively. As I mentioned, I didn't like the more expensive 17/17 setup, so I replaced the whole assembly to the standard 21/18 setup with 52-key sprocket and dual-purpose tires. The tires are inexpensive but versatile and I like them a lot. The tire pattern looks like:

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=...id=13355367971

The sprocket delivers lots torque but limited top speed. I am tempted by the 49-key "improvement".

I quite enjoy riding my x2x. If you want to test ride it in order to make up your mind 100% before its purchase, maybe we can work something out. PM me.

At the store they told me SM and Enduro would cost the same. I read before already that Enduro would be 1000rmb cheaper. I'll have to double check that.
Depending on what tires they have there I guess I'll go for the 17/17. We'll see..

Thank You for your offer! Very much appreciated! I'll contact you when I have my licence.

From Noob to Noob: Welcome Inschel!
I guess the thread should be called "Three new riders..."

Well done on the driving license! I hope I'll have mine soon.

Did you have any trouble getting it? Or was it pretty much like in this step-by-step on shanghaihalfpat.com? (still up to date?)
Could you do it all in one day?

http://www.shanghaihalfpat.com/conve...iving-license/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ischel

Hi all together,

I just want to jump on this train, as my situation is quite similar with Slenderman's.

I came to Shanghai about 8 months ago (incredible how long it is possible to survive without riding a motorbike). Yesterday, I finally managed my driving license:clap: and now I am facing all these practical questions. I looked up already several threads but I must admit, there are still some questions left related to license plates and bikes.

---

Surely you guys realize that a normal C1 driving license is NOT valid for riding a motorcycle. You MUST have a C1E (car and motorcycle) or C1D (car, motorcycle and sidecar) or, as we recently learned from Shandong, an E license (motorcycle only). Ride with only a C1 and you are not legal.

Several MCM members in Shanghai have recently gotten motorcycle licenses, and they've reported their experiences in the sticky thread Getting a Chinese Motorcycle License. As ChinaV noted, if you start with the C1 license you make it substantially harder to add the motorcycle endorsement; many places require you to wait a year before upgrading. (In the Chinese mind you are probably actually downgrading when you get a motorbike license!)

Ischel, it would be great if you could post about your licensing experience in the licensing thread I mentioned above. The situation is fluid because the process recently changed, and the procedures for applicants who cannot read Chinese are very much in flux.

Thanks!

Hi,+1 for the noob train (i hope it is not full yet ;-)).
i got my Chinese DL in February. i am about to buy a moto which also needed to commute to work as for Milton. i wanted to have an XTR250ADV (with rollbars and box brackets) but neither MCM-ers nor Jeff from the CFmoto shop suggested it. I have two Shineray options now: small X5 (250cc, air cooled, 19/17 tyres enduro), but i guess it is a new modell (at least i could not find any info on the net except two pics) and i do not really want to be its testpilot. Other option is the x2. i have doubts which tyre set to choose as the factory 21/18 knobby tyres are not so good for tarmac. As Milton pointed out 21/18 dual-purpose tyres are availabe like for 19/17 enduros (small x5 has also Kings tire) then it could be a good option...


i hope we all can ride soon:riding:

small X5:
Attachment 10573 Attachment 10574

the bests Sandor

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sandor

... and i do not really want to be its testpilot. Other option is the x2. i have doubts which tyre set to choose as the factory 21/18 knobby tyres are not so good for tarmac. As Milton pointed out 21/18 dual-purpose tyres are availabe like for 19/17 enduros (small x5 has also Kings tire) then it could be a good option...

---

The stock tires for x2x (dual-sport tires/chain/sprocket) are off-road knobby tires. They are terrible on tarmac, as many of my x2x owner friends can attest to it. On the other hand, I did have good luck with the dual-purpose ones that I have on now.

Hi Slenderman,

I just put some of my expereinces in the post prposed by euphonius. If you need mor einfo, just let me know.

A quick update, so you don't think I'm disappeared..

Three weeks ago I went to the Shanghai Vehicle Management Bureau on Hami Lu, all set and expecting to get my chance to do the test within a few days.. since I read somewhere here on the forum that with a bit of luck you can do it even the same day.. so wrong!! :frump:

I got an appointment for the test 6 weeks from then!
That's the soonest possible.. no pleading and asking if there was any possible way to get it done faster helped.
So three weeks down, three more weeks to wait!

:taz::taz::taz::taz::taz::taz:

To those of you who haven't been to Hami Lu:
It's easy to find on 1330 Hami Lu, SH.
I'm there at 9 am. I find the bldg where pictures are taken and get the application form.. they say I can't do it in SH, because my port of entry says Beijing. I have my pictures taken anyway, since that's in the same room. Then I notice the form just saying C1. Damn, I think.. At bldg 1 second floor they tell me port of entry doesn't matter, since my visa was issued in SH.
I point out that on my translation are clearly motorcycle and car licence, and that's what I want to get. The lady says something like "no worries, we'll take care of that later!" After asking 15 times if she's sure this won't be a problem I go on to do the medical exams..

After that's done I return to bldg 1 second floor to the same lady, reminding her again that I want motorcycle licence too! She just handwrites a D to the C1 on the form and (hopefully) also types that into her computer.
Then I get the appointment for 6 weeks later.. all the useless pleading happens.. and I leave the place after about an hour in total.

If I did it again, I'd get the application, medical check and pictures done and THEN spend the waiting time to study for the test. Hope that helps somebody! By now I forgot everything and should probably soon have a look again at those questions.

Three more weeks of waiting for me.. :gaah:

Oh, and by the way: I'm obviously not buying the bike yet, since I'll need the DL to get it registered and don't dare riding it illegally!

As of yesterday proud owner of a brand new C1D license!

:icon10:

Congratulation!
Now the purchasing comes i guess ;-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slenderman

As of yesterday proud owner of a brand new C1D license!

:icon10:

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Dear Skinnyguy,

Congratulations indeed. Since there's been so much confusion about getting a license since the turn of the year, how about posting details of your licensing experience in the Getting a Chinese Motorcycle License thread?

• Has Shanghai finally updated its electronic exams to include English and other languages?
• Are they administering a motorcycle-specific exam in English? (For months they were saying these English exams were not ready yet.)
• Has any aspect of the licensing and testing procedure changed significantly, or is it only the exam that's been updated?
• Was the process motorcycle-friendly, or did you still have to push hard to ensure that you got the D or E endorsement, rather than just the cage license?
• Did you convert a foreign drivers license or did you have to start from scratch? If the latter, what was the process for organizing a road test and what was the test like?

Nice to see the circle of legal Shanghai riders growing.

Cheers
Euphonius

Thanks guys!

@sandor - Yes, the purchasing already happened! :clap: went to Knight Rider last Saturday and got myself a nice X2 Enduro with 沪C plates. Registration 's gonna take about a week and with a bit of luck I should have it by this weekend.
What's your status? Did you buy the small X5?
I also had a look at that one, but the X2 just seams to be more the right bike for me.

@Euphonius - I didn't forget about the DL thread.. just been busy. But I posted there now and answered your questions.

Hi Slenderman,
If you dont mind me asking how much did the 沪C plates cost? Do you know if they are going up in price a lot at the moment? I was looking at getting some maybe in the next 1.5-2 years but Im worried by the time I get to the price they are now they will have inflated out of reach again.

Anyway, congrats on your new ride!

Hey Webba,

The price for 沪C actually went down! I can tell you, that was a pleasant surprise!

When I was at Knight Rider the first time about 2 months ago the price was 25k.
Now it was 18.5k for 沪C and 125k for 沪A.

How any further development will be.. only some crazy oracle with chicken intestines might be able to tell you!

Slenderman,
congrat! ride safely!

i am just about te get an x2 as well.

i read before on MCM that the residence permit should have 90 days left when registering a moto.
Jeff at CFmoto on Wuzhng lu in Minhang states that a passport with 90 days validity left is enough.
Can anyone confirm this?

the bests Sandor

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slenderman

Thanks guys!

@sandor - Yes, the purchasing already happened! :clap: went to Knight Rider last Saturday and got myself a nice X2 Enduro with 沪C plates. Registration 's gonna take about a week and with a bit of luck I should have it by this weekend.
What's your status? Did you buy the small X5?
I also had a look at that one, but the X2 just seams to be more the right bike for me.

@Euphonius - I didn't forget about the DL thread.. just been busy. But I posted there now and answered your questions.

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